Re: responses to licensing discussion - Mailing list pgsql-general

Hi Postgresql Colleagues,

I have been a user of Postgresql for a long time and seldom post here, but
after reading the recent fray over license changes, I feel compelled to
post this.

Just to add my miniscule .02 to this discussion.... As a contributor to
open source (and also a commercial developer) for many years, I lament the
fact that lawyers of whatever stripe now seek to both advise and capitalize
on the creativity and generosity of the worldwide technical community who
contribute freely to develop and make available programs like Postgresql.

What a pity! We (at least in the US) live in such a litigious society
(nearly everyone seems unwilling to take responsibility for their own
actions) that we now need legal advice and opinions on how to protect
individuals who give freely of their own time and creativity.

I guess this is why people (and even medical professionals) in the US will
seldom stop to help someone who is in need anymore. (they might get sued
for doing a good deed!!!)

If you are employed by someone like M$ your corporate profits can afford
these high priced prostitutes to keep you safe from law suits by people and
organizations too ignorant to know what they are doing and who are
unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions. However, if you
are an open source contributor and are intelligent and creative and
contributing to something worthwhile to humanity for zero personal gain...
(such as developing code that overall benefits society), you must still
consort with these vultures for fear you may lose your livelihood to one of
the people you sought to help.

Call me naieve, idealistic, stupid, unrealistic or whatever... but I find
the whole discussion simply an amazing (and also deplorable) commentary on
the current state of affairs.

BTW...are the people who write the VB (aka virus builder) programs such as
the recent "love bug" covered under UCITA?? Perhaps this would be a good
new business venture for the lawyers? I think I remember hearing some FBI
people lamenting the fact that Phillipine law would not permit prosecution.
Maybe we can get them covered under Virginia law also! After all, these
people did slightly more damage in one day than all the bugs in the history
of open source programs like Postgresql. Along the same lines...is
MicroSoft liable for having released VBA? I have not seen any lawsuits
aimed at Bill and the VBA developers for having provided such easily
abusable "functionality" in their product?

Sorry for the rant...

Regards,

Jim





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Jim Jennis, Technical Director, Commercial Systems
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1 Discovery Place, Suite 2
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